


Come back to me

by gildeddragon1



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark One Emma, Dark One's Dagger, F/F, Feels, My shipper heart, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan-Mills Family, mention of outlawqueen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 19:18:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4274934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gildeddragon1/pseuds/gildeddragon1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina coping with Emma's  sacrifice and tries to summon her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Once Upon a time

She and Henry walked to a familiar spot in the woods. It was where she freed the nuns from the convent. She held the dagger in her black gloved hands tightly as if someone was going to take it. Henry hadn't taken the news well. He had locked himself in his room and it took the trip to hopefully free his birth mother to pull him out. He had dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping and the tears that never stopped.

After Emma's sacrifice she, Hook and Emma's parents fought for who gets the dagger. Hook said it was because Emma was his happiness, her parents, well because they were her parents. But it took Henry to tell them his mom had the only right because she was a magic user and Emma sacrificed herself for Regina. Robin disliked having the dagger around because of young Roland. He kept telling her to forget the blonde and move on. It was only then Regina realized in the long run, it wouldn't work. He was mad because she was ending the relationship but he knew there was more to it. Like she had feelings for Emma. When they first met and they told her later on in life she would develop feelings for Emma she would laugh and possibly fireball their ass. But now, she wasn't so sure.

"We're here." She said quietly to her son. He held the story book, the one that started it all, to his chest tightly. She gestured to the tree stump and he sat down. She held the dagger in her palms and gazed at it. She traced Emma's name in black, eerie lettering. Tears rose in her eyes. 'Why did you have to be such a hero and idiot?' She thought. It was then she realized she did like Emma. More than a friend. More than she deemed possible. She took a deep breath and held the dagger in front of her. She prepared to see the changes the blonde went through. The possible golden skin and golden eyes.  
"Emma swan, I summon thee." She said as strong as she could but her voice wavered. She waited a very moments. Tears started to fall from hers and Henry's eyes.  
"God dammit Emma I summoned thee." She sobbed. She shut her eyes feeling like there was no hope. It wasn't until Henry whispered 'mom' She looked up. She saw Emma in all black. Tight black leather pants like she used to wear when she was queen and a dark jacket. Her skin was paler but not the god awful gold. Her eyes were a darker green and you could see the fight within her to keep the darkness at bay.  
"Emma?" She breathed. Henry ran up and hugged the blonde while she slowly made her way over to her. When Henry let go several minutes later, Regina couldn't help herself and flung herself into Emma's strong arms. Emma held her tightly as she sobbed. She buried her face in the space between shoulder and neck of Emma.  
"You are such an idiot Miss. Swan." She whispered. Emma chuckled as she held her tighter.  
"You worked to hard-"  
"I know. But it wasn't with Robin." She interrupted. "He refused to allow the dagger near Roland. I wouldn't put it in my vault because that was common knowledge. I had to keep it home. He tried to make me forget about you. It was your choice."  
"What are you saying?" Emma whispered.  
"I'm going to fight for you like you have done for me the past couple of years. I'm going to bring you back." She paused and added "I need you."  
"I need you too." Emma whispered. She sobbed again and Henry joined in the hug.  
"You're an idiot." She repeated. "But you're MY idiot." She added softly.

The trio stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying the moment. Regina knew she needed to let Emma go sometime but she didn't want to. She wanted her there. With her and Henry. Emma began to shake.  
"I need to go. My hold is weakening. I will be back. I promise. I can see if I can just come without you summoning me." Emma said full of regret. Henry let go wiping his tears and kissed Emma. She knew what he was trying. True Loves Kiss. He looked and her expectantly. She sighed and leaned forward. Her lips met Emma's and she felt a flash go trough them. When she pulled back she saw Emma looked more like herself. Her skin not as pale and eyes a little brighter.  
"I'll come back." Emma whispered against her lips. She nodded. Emma looked at Henry.  
"Take care if your mom. This isn't goodbye but I won't be myself for awhile." Henry nodded.  
"I will. We'll fight for you mom." Emma smiled teary eyed.  
"We both will." She added.  
"I know." Then Emma disappeared in black smoke.

They were silent on the walk back to the Mercedes. Henry then snickered. She looked at him with a frown.  
"We should tell that to Tinkerbell."  
"Tell what?"  
"You just gave mom True Loves Kiss. And it helped her a little bit." He explained. She laughed a little.  
"Well it would make an interesting conversation." She mused with a smile. 

Robin watched from the trees. He gave a small smile after the kiss between Regina and Emma. Sure he was hurt, but he was glad she had found happiness.  
"Well they both are fighters Marion said."  
"Indeed they are."  
"We gonna help when we can?" She questioned.  
"I think at this point everyone in the town will. Even Maleficent and Lily."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it appears I should write more so I should add to this even though I wasn't originally.
> 
> Same as always:  
> I do not own Once Upon a Time

HENRY POV

He sat in his room looking through the book hoping to find something only wishing he hadn't broken the authors quill. He saw nothing. Only the image of his mom taking in the swirl of darkness. He breathed deeply and heard a knock at the front door. His mom was in the shower so he ran down hoping to see his mom. He saw Belle instead.  
"I went through Rumple's things when I heard what a happened. I found as many books about the Dark One as I could even if it was just a mention. I hope this helps." She said handing him a crate full of old leather bound books.  
"Some of it is in a different language which I could help you with but your mom might know some too." He took the crate straining against its weight.  
"Thank you. It means alot." He said. She nodded with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. He knew Emma and her were kinda sorta friends and it shocked and saddened the town when they heard the news. He and his mom couldn't go anywhere without people apologizing for their loss. No one knew of her appearance a couple days ago. Not even his grandparents. They didn't want anyone to get their hopes up if they didn't find anything. Both he and his mom knew what could happen if they didn't find anything. When he shut the door his mom was just walking through the hallway.  
"Belle brought us a bunch of books that could help us with Emma." He explained when she furrowed her brow at the sight of the dusty crate and books. She walked quickly door the stairs looking through the titles. "She said she could help with translating to if we wanted help. His mom nodded.  
"We could definitely use it. We will call her tomorrow. In the mean time, go get ready for bed." Henry carried the crate into her study and ran upstairs.

REGINA POV

She checked through her library where she kept a few choice books and found 2 with some, very little, but some information on the Dark One. She glanced at the chest that contained Emma's dagger. She bound it with blood magic since she had no worries of her sister, and every binding spell she knew. Only she could open it. She carried it upstairs planning to see Emma again. She bid Henry goodnight and walked into her room, soundproof it, and shut her door. She opened the chest and before she even spoke a cloud of black filled her room. She glanced up and saw Emma. Still looking better after she had kissed her. She quickly hugged her nuzzling her face into Emma's neck taking in her scent.  
"Hey."She whispered.  
"Hey." Emma replied.  
"How have you been?" She asked pulling away keeping her hands on Emma's upper arms. Emma gave a small smile.  
"Better thanks to you My Queen." She shivered at her title. Normally she would hate that title but coming from Emma, it made her insides melt. Emma saw the reaction and smirked.  
"I miss you." She said. Emma took a breath.  
"I do too. It's not the same. I keep hoping I will wake up and look forward to getting you worked up but then all I see is Darkness then I remember what happened. Do I regret it? Hell no. I would do it a thousand times over." Emma agreed. She leaned her forehead against the Savior. HER Savior.  
"You're still an idiot." She said. They both laughed loving the contact and intimate moment. She leaned forward and captured the blondes lips hers. It started slow then soon grew heated. Both of them clawing at clothing. Emma pulled back.  
"As much as I want to do this, I want to wait until I get better. When I can really feel. Without knowing at any time I would need to stop because I can no longer hold the darkness at bay." Emma said. She was touched by Emma's thoughts and agreed.  
"Just know this. I love you." She whispered placing gentle kiss on Emma's lips.  
"I love you too Regina." Emma smiled.  
"I don't want to leave." She whispered.  
"I will stay with you as long as I can. I may not be able to stay all night though." Emma said. She gave a small smile.  
"I can live with that." She led them both to the bed and circled up under the duvet. She laid her head on Emma's shoulder whose arm was wrapped around her back protectively. Her arm was draped over the blondes strong abdomen.  
"I wish I could protect you." She heard Emma whisper. She looked up and met Emma's eyes.  
"From what?"  
"Pain, Darkness, loss. Everything." Emma replied. She snuggled against her shoulder again.  
"You don't have too."  
"I do. I will never stop trying to." They stayed in silence for several beats.  
"Just don't get yourself killed. I don't know what will happen to me if you did." She whispered gripping the blondes jacket. Moments later they both fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning she found the spot where Emma was empty but was still warm. She checked her clocked and saw it was 6am. Emma stayed all night. Holding her as if she wasn't the Dark One. As if she was her normal, stubborn, beautiful self. She turned over and saw a note on her bedside table.

I stayed all night. I slept as if nothing happened. I hope we are able to once again and hopefully when I am myself. I love you.

She smiled and laid it back on her bedside table. She got up and got ready for the day before calling Belle. She had more hope than ever before. If Emma was able to stay all night, that meant she was more in control. So hopefully her time with them would be more. She hoped there were family dinners and movie nights in their future. Curled up under a blanket cuddling seeking warmth from each other. Waking up to seeing each other in the morning. She hid the dagger again and hid the chest before leaving her room to make Henry got to school on time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter guys!
> 
> I do not own Once Upon a Time

After a long and disappointing morning with both Henry and Belle helping, they decided it was enough. Belle needed to return to the shop to tend to Rumple. Regina walked Belle to the door as she carried her copy of notes they had made hoping to use them as leads.  
"When Rumple wakes help tell him to come here or talk to me over the phone or anything. I need his help and I don't care what you have to do to convince him. I can't do this alone." She told her a pleading tone. She never begged. If she needed something she took it by force. Whether it was revenge, power or anything she needed. This was no simple spell gone wrong or curse, this was the darkest magic of all. Belle laid a gentle hand on her shoulder with a sad but understanding smile.  
"I will. I promise. I can come over tomorrow afternoon again if you would like. I can see if I can find anything else." Belle said gently.  
"Sure. Does one sound good? I can make lunch too."  
"I will see you then Regina. Hang in there."

After Belle walked out she checked the clock and saw it was past lunchtime. She quickly made some sandwiches and brought them into her study where Henry sat on the floor reading one of the only spell books she had in english. He made a frustrated sound and tossed it away after closing it.  
"Any luck?" She asked him. He shook his head.  
"There is hardly anything about the Dark One or the dagger."He mumbled taking a sandwich. She sighed taking a bit, the food having no taste and have no flavor. It left a lump in her throat.   
"What do we do mom?" Henry whispered his voice betraying the tears threatening to fall. She stood and sat on the floor next to him wrapping an arm around his shoulder.  
"We will find a way." She said.  
"I hope so. I miss her." She smiled softly.  
"I do too Henry. I do too." She agreed softly.  
"Do you love her?" He asked. She paused for a moment.  
"Yes. I do love her." He nodded.  
"How long?" She took a deep breath.  
"Honestly when we were in Neverland. I got a glimpse of her. Under all the walls she had up. It in my mind made her more beautiful. When I saw her attractiveness was when she cut down a branch of my tree." She recalled with a small smile.  
"She loves you too you know. I see it when she looks at you. She looks at you like you're her everything when you're not looking. She is afraid you wouldn't return her feelings and ruin your friendship. She didn't want to risk it."  
"She's an idiot. If she would see how I look at her." She said softly.  
"We'll get her back mom." Henry said. They finished their lunch and cleaned up the various books, sheets of paper and relics.   
"Can we call her?" He asked.   
"I would rather not use it too much. It controls her and I would really rather not control her." She said. She heard footfalls coming to the door.  
"All you do is have to say 'come here my loveable idiot and I will come.' With or without the dagger." A voice said from the door with sarcasm laced in her tone. She snorted.  
"Hey ma." Henry said moving to hug Emma quickly. Emma smiled and hugged him tightly.  
"Have you visited your parents at all or are we the only ones you have decided to visit?" She asked the blonde.   
"No. I'm not ready yet."  
"What if we came with you?" Henry asked pulling away so she could hug Emma. She paused before answering.  
"Tomorrow night. All together but tell them not to be too overwhelming." She replied softly pulling away from her.  
"I highly doubt they will heed my warning dear." She said placing her hand on Emma's cheek which the blonde into the touch. She brushed her thumb over her cheekbone with a pleasant look, or at least as pleasant as she could since the woman she loved was the Dark One. Henry left the room saying he needed to shower leaving his mom's alone. Emma pulled her into a soft kiss that she was now beginning to think of as home. A sense of peace washing over her. She nipped at Emma's bottom lip before pulling away. And latching onto Emma's neck nipping and sucking on one spot she knew would mark.  
"Regina." Emma warned. She smirked against the Saviors neck but continued. She pulled back moments later seeing a bruise where she payed extra attention too. She kissed it once and pulled back. Emma glanced in the mirror seeing the hickey on the spot between her neck and shoulder and rolled her eyes.  
"Really? What kind of Dark One am I if I am marked?" She asked. She smirked.  
"MY Dark One." She supplied happily kissing Emma once again wrapping her arms around her neck while Emma brought her arms around her waist. Emma moaned when she slipped her tongue through Emma's lips. After a few intimate moments, she pulled away.  
"I'm trying to find a way to get you back." She whispered.  
"I know." Emma said gesturing to the piles of books and papers on the table with her chin. "Anything useful?"  
"No. Not much if there is and we overlooked it." She shook her head.  
"Keep trying my queen. If I knew what I could do I would tell you." Emma said softly.  
"I will my Savior." She promised. Emma kissed her again. A long, sweet kiss that made her knees weak. She reluctantly pulled away.  
"I love you Regina." Emma said.  
"I love you too Emma." Emma gave one last smile before disappearing in black smoke. She sighed with a renewed amount of hope settled on her heart. She would get back the woman she lived if it was the last thing she did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait. I have been super busy with work and finally got a chance to update!
> 
> I do not own Once Upon a Time

The next day Emma returned clad in her dark outfit. She was nervous by the constant shifting she did on the car ride there. When they reached the apartment door she could feel the waves of anxiety coming from the blonde.  
"You can do this. We will be right beside you." She soothed rubbing Emmas hand with her thumb. She had made sure to call her parents and threatened them if they overwhelmed her. She raised her hand and knocked. The trio held their breath as they waited for the door to be opened. It opened and David was standing there.  
"Hey guys. Come in." He said and paused when he saw Emma.  
"Emma." He breathed.  
"Dad." Emma whispered and took a step forward. He hugged her and Emma returned it. She caught Emma's eyes and smiled at her. Emma relaxed into her father's strong embrace. When they both separated and Emma walked in less tense than she was minutes before. Snow came out from the kitchen carrying a cassarole dish. She grinned and came over and hugged Emma. So far they weren't being clingy.  
"Mom." After a few minutes of an embrace they pulled away.  
"Come. Let's eat." Snow said leading them into their dining room. Everyone sat at the table and served themselves. They sat in silence for a few moments before Emma spoke up.  
"How's the station?" She asked David.  
"Not the same. Its been quiet. Just paperwork and patrols. Ruby has been helping take over shifts." He said and smiled. "No has touched your desk." Emma smiled and it wasn't forced. Everyone began talking about random topics. About baby Neal and no one brought up how Emma was the Dark One. Soon Snow caught sight od the hickey. She raised an eyebrow rather than say anything. Emma blushed and Henry snickered.  
"I believe you owe me 20 bucks David." She said with a smile. Both Emma and I raised eyebrows prompting for an explanation.  
"David and I made a bet on when you two would finally come to your senses. He bet after Neverland and I said before Christmas of this year." She said with a wicked smile.  
"A far fetched bet don't you think mom?" Emma asked with a smile. She shrugged.  
"You guys aren't very subtle with the constant eye sex.' David said.  
"Um hello. Kid still in the room." Henry said clearing his throat. Everyone laughed and returned to eating.

After dinner they departed from the Charming residence after a very long hug between Emma and both of her parents.  
"Come visit us sometime." Snow whispered. "We love you."

Henry hugged Emma before he went to bed. Soon after shutting all lights off and turned on the security system we retired to mine. We lay there together much like the night before. "How was that?" She said. "Better than I thought. I thought Snow would make a scene about you marking me." She laughed and snuggled deeper into the blondes chest. "It would have been a fun thing to see." She mused. "Maybe next time I mark you several times all over you." Emma snorted. "Let's get some rest my queen." And as Emma said she let sleep take over her in the arms of her love


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own anything

The next morning Regina was happy to still be wrapped in Emma's arms. She was glad the day before at the Charmings for dinner didn't scare Emma off. Snow had assured her several times she wouldn't bring it up and she didn't. For once Snow had listened to her. She made a mental note to thank her for finally listening. Maybe it was just because Emma was involved or for some other reason she didn't know about. She felt Emma shift under her and a sigh. Emma pulled her tighter against her.  
“Go back to sleep.” She said, her voice husky from sleep. She chuckled against the blonde's chest.  
“Good morning My Love.”  
“Whoever decided it was a good idea to put 'Good' in front of 'morning' deserves to have a good slap in the face. With a chair.” Emma growled. She laughed.  
“Well then I will just have to find a way to prevent that.”  
“I don't feel like travelling in time. Probably dead anyway. I don't want to mess up time like Zelena did. I fear it will involves baby Neal and your heart which I have no intent on messing around with. Its bad enough with the dark magic.” Emma sighed. She snorted in response.  
“Do you want to stay for breakfast? I had planned on making waffles.”  
“Sure. I could always use a good waffle. Especially yours.”  
“Flattery will get you nowhere Miss. Swan.”  
“Regina.” Emma warned as she got up after Regina had reluctantly, pried herself from Emma's arms. “How many times do I have to tell not to call me that. I think the fact we have finally admitted our feelings for each other has put me on a first name basis.”  
“You know I love you Emma.” Regina said as she walked in front of her placing a kiss an her lips. “Come on. I have a extra toothbrush for you.”

After doing their morning routine, they made their way downstairs after Regina gave Emma a dark blue blouse and a pair a jeans, which Emma had fun poking fun about her actually owning a pair. While Emma helped get the various supplies out, Henry emerged from his room rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
“Hey Mom, Ma.” He mumbled as he poured orange juice for us.  
“Morning Henry.”  
“Morning Kid.”  
“Whats for breakfast?” He asked as Regina began making the batter.  
“Waffles.” Emma replied. “Can I help anywhere Regina?”   
“You can help by setting the table.” Regina said. Emma pouted but did as she was told.  
“With chocolate chips?”  
“If you want.” Regina replied with a smile. “What about you Emma?”  
“I'm good with that. I will grab the chips for you."

After Regina had finished breakfast and Emma had finished moaning how Regina wouldn't let her help, they set out to work on removing the Dark One status from Emma. They were happy to know she was able to control herself enough to stay. Emma was reading a book, that was actually in english, when she paled even more and dropped it. Both Regina and Henry looked up from their studies.  
“Emma? What's wrong?” Regina asked worriedly. Emma shook her head passing the book to her while returning to the page she was reading.  
“There is no way. There always has to be a Dark One otherwise the balance between Darkness and Light will off balance and everyone will be fucked even more.” Emma said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So after a while I am back. My computer somehow deleted the chapters of A Second Chance so now I have to rewrite them since I now cannot find my flash drive. It hasn't been my month lately so I apologize and promise a longer chapter once I have it written. Maybe by the weekend if all goes well. If not sometime next week after the Super Bowl since I work a double that day. Yay me. But hey, extra hours. Any way, done with my rant and I hope you enjoy.
> 
> I do not own Once Upon a Time or it's characters.

When Emma revealed that my heart broke. It was the fact Emma may never be completely free of the Darkness within her that hurt the most. The news basically threw all our research and hope to flames.  
"We could talk to Belle and see if she has anything. Maybe we can find a way to help you control it." I said. Emma looked at me. Her eyes were filled with emotions. Hope. Sadness. Both of those were the ones that shone through the most. Anger because she couldn't do anything to help me cope.  
"What will we tell everyone?" Emma asked softly.  
"The truth."  
"But as soon as they hear it they could be out for my blood."  
"Then I will stop them. I won't let anyone hurt you Emma." I insisted. She sighed dropping the subject but I could tell she doubted the fact the town would accept her for the fact she will always be the Dark One. Knowing Emma, she wouldn't want anyone to take the fate of the Dark One and no one knew what they would do. How they would react. 

After we had told her parents and in length told Henry, Emma sat in the study while the fireplace blazed on. Henry was in bed early after dinner was made claiming he had homework but both of us knew it was because he wanted to process everything in peace on his own. An untouched tumbler of cider sat on the table on a coaster. I sat next to her longing to reach out and grab her hand but I knew that could make her react badly.  
"I don't regret it." She said suddenly after we had sat in at least fifteen minutes of silence.  
"What?"  
"I don't regret becoming the Dark One. Yeah it sucks, but I did it to make you happy."  
"You should know you are part of it."  
"I didn't. Not at the time until you told me. I have loved you for a while but I accepted if you were happy with Robin, I could love you at a distance. It would suck but at least being friends was better than nothing."  
"You should have let me take it." I told her. She looked at me, her eyes flashing.  
"You have worked far to hard to have had it destroyed. As I said, I had accepted the fact if it was with Robin, then I would let you have it. I could never, ever take that back." Emma said with conviction turning her whole body toward me. She had changed into a pair of comfortable shorts and a t shirt earlier on. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair avoiding the blondes eyes. She placed two fingers under my chin pulling me to look at her.  
"I mean it." I felt tears spring into my eyes.  
"I know." I choked as I let them fall. She pulled me close holding me tightly as if I would drift off. As if loving me was a dream. I had never realized the true extent of Emma's feelings beyond friendship and I now realized I had been completely blind to it. Emma was my friend. My protector. My Savior. And now the love of my life once I had accepted her. 

When we woke it was to the soft thumps of footsteps upstairs meaning Henry was up. I was draped across Emma's body, my head resting on her chest over her heart. She must have moved us so we were laying down and had tugged a blanket over us. I felt her puffs of breath over my head and sighed snuggling deeper into the embrace. I didn't want to get up at all. I wanted to stay wrapped up in her arms all day. Whether it was talking, snuggling, making love or just taking comfort in each other's presence I didn't care. Emma Swan meant more to me than being Mayor. If I tried I could go somewhere else but I knew Emma was only one place. Here. I had begun to wonder, what would happen if we left Storybrooke for a while. A vacation. Henry was going to have a break for school so maybe we could all take a week and go to New York. They could show me around and maybe go to other places. The thought made me smile and I made sure to mention it to Emma when she woke but by the feel of her breathing, she wouldn't any time soon so I shut my eyes again and fell back asleep in my lover's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooooo sorry for the wait guys. I've been working on my WickedSwan and my new Swanqueen fic that I lost track and had a little bit of writers block. Not sure about how many chapters are left. Enjoy! And again I am sorry for the long wait.

Sure enough Emma hadn't woken until 10 and I didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead I stayed with thinking of all the things I wanted to do in the future with her. I wanted her to move in so we would never be apart again unless it was for work. I wanted to raise Henry with her and have no outside influence from Robin or anyone else. Emma was mine and I wanted her to stay that way. Our recent confessions had lifted the heavy weight that had resided over my heart since she had taken the darkness. Since she had returned from New York after the missing year. I thought of all things we would do. Eat our meals together. She would come into my office or I would go to hers with takeout from Granny's and we would eat sometimes silently and sometimes talking with banter and sometimes each comment meant more than it was said, leaving both of us in a heated state. There was no one else I would rather watch Henry graduate and go off to college with, go on his first date and pick on him endlessly afterward. I thought of all the dates we would go on and how they would mean more than just a dinner and a kiss goodnight before departing our separate ways or changing and going to bed. It would come straight from our hearts which we had both guarded with our lives with thick walls to prevent anyone or anything breaking through them. We hadn't anticipated meeting each though. Both of us always nose to nose with each when she first came to town, fighting for me when I was in danger and saving town and Henry together with our combined magic. Her sacrificing herself and Robin telling me I should just let her go and be the Dark One had been the icing on the cake and made me even more certain he wasn't my soul mate. Not in this time at least.

I had forgotten about Robin for a while and I had debated on seeing him. To see how he was but I knew I had to let him go so I could be happy and stress free from Emma. Maybe for a while we could just be passers by on the street but maybe friends though I couldn't help but think how amazingly sexy it would be to see Emma jealous, but I knew I couldn't do that to her. She is already letting me in on such a deep level in would destroy her if something were to happen. As that thought ended, I felt the body I was laying across shifted and her hold tighten around me as if I were going to leave. I nuzzled her breast the was under my head and kissed in gently.  
“Good morning Emma.”  
“It's not morning until I say so.” I had to chuckle and reach over to the spot on her hip I knew she was ticklish on. I barely let the tips of my fingers touch before she began to squirm and laugh uncontrollably. Before I knew it she flipped us over so I was on my back and she was straddling my waist. I swallowed at the position feeling my body awaken under her touch when her hands pinned my wrists over my head. Normally I would hate being trapped and cornered like this but this time I could care less. I felt safe with Emma, even her being the Dark One I knew she wouldn't hurt me.  
“You shouldn't be playing with fire Regina. You could get burned.” She purred in my ear before she nibbled on it. I moaned and ground my hips once against hers only making the burning of my body worse.  
“I wouldn't mind this time.” She placed hot kisses down my neck and softly nipping at my collar bone before trailing them up to my jaw and finally my lips where she let my hands go so I could wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to my overheating body. Before our kisses progressed to a new level, she pulled back after one last, sweet peck on my lips and moved to get off of me and I groaned in frustration.  
“You can't just leave me like this Emma. It's not nice.” I protested. She grinned in response.  
“I would rather wait when it won't just be a quick fuck on the couch. I want it to special and something that would mean something more than a release.” She told me.  
“It won't be though.”  
“I know but I think in the future we would want it as a reminder. I want to do this right.” I smiled at her thoughtfulness and I knew I had made the right choice in choosing her and not Robin. I knew my father would approve of her and could only wonder if Cora would since she had her heart now. I watched her leave the room toward the kitchen and soon her the clinking of pots and pans being moved around and had sighed in contentment. This is what a real family feels like, I thought to myself and I was glad I cast the curse.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to be really shitty on timelines when it comes to this. Sorry for the wait. A lot of this chapter is dialogue.

REGNA POV

I must have fallen asleep again because Emma woke me by shaking my shoulder gently. Though she still had the undertones of the appearance of her new Dark One traits, some of the old Emma shone through them. Her eyes were the main feature.  
"Hey. It's time to get up. I made us some lunch." She told me. I smiled my thanks and she placed a sweet kiss on my lips before going to get Henry who I assumed was upstairs. Whether he was still asleep or playing his video games I wasn't sure. I sighed and reluctantly stood while stretching my muscles which protested when I did so. Even with Emma as the most comfortable pillow, the couch was no place to sleep. I walked into the kitchen curious of what Emma made and saw she had used up some leftover meat and made a fancy looking spaghetti like dish.   
"I hope you don't mind. I wasn't sure if you were going to use it and it needed some type of meat in the sauce. I didn't think bacon would fly well with you." Emma apologized when she walked in again.  
"It's alright. It was nearing the end of it's shelf life anyway. And you were correct on that account. Bacon and tomato sauce doesn't sound very appetizing." Emma grinned and began dishing out the meal when Henry emerged from upstairs. He looked tired. There was bags under his eyes and they looked puffy and bloodshot and I could only assume he didn't sleep at all last night.  
"Hey Kid." Emma greeted softly. Henry looked at her once and tears flooded his eyes before running toward her and wrapping her up in a bone crushing hug. I could hear him talking but his voice was muffled against Emma's shirt which I had noticed was a black tank top from my drawers. Same thing with the gray shorts she was wearing. I saw the facial expression Emma had now. Despair. Anguish. Pain. Worry and sadness. All because she would always be stuck as a Dark One. Because she had the purest of morals and refused to subject anyone else to this pain she was enduring. A few minutes later, Henry had pried himself off of Emma and wiped his tears away sniffling. He tried to compose himself much like I had the talent of doing but he couldn't. He was young and hurt dealing with a situation normal kids would never go through and he had no one else to talk to except Belle.  
"Whats for lunch?" He asked softly looking at the dish with scrutiny.  
"Some weird ass type of spaghetti I whipped up with some things that needed to be used up."  
"Garlic bread."  
"In the oven."  
"How much longer?" Henry asked. Emma turned and looked at the timer on the oven.  
"5 minutes. You could have looked on your own kid." Henry smirked and for a moment the saddened expression vanished before it returned.  
"But you're mom."  
"And soon you will be out on your own and soon with a little girlfriend." Emma sing songed. Henry's eyes bugged out in fear.  
"No thanks!" He squeaked.  
"So you want be alone forever? Not even with Grace?" Henry punched Emma in the arm and they both collapsed into giggles and I couldn't help but chuckle myself. For a few minutes my family had forgotten about the problem on hand and acted like a normal family. Well, as normal as we could.   
"Come on guys. Lets eat." Emma told us both as the timer went off and she pulled out the garlic bread. Even though it needed to cool, Henry and Emma snatched pieces complaining on how hot the pieces were and it burned their fingers.  
"You do realize you are supposed to let them cool first right?" I asked while I grabbed a pair of tongs and picked up mine after a moment when they should have cooled enough to eat.  
"It's garlic bread ma."  
"It's to good to resist and wait an extra couple of minutes." Emma piped in.  
"You know we could make our own."  
"But this unhealthy goodness!" Henry snickered. I let out a long, drawn out sigh, shaking my head at the childish antics of Henry and Emma. I wasn't sure what we were calling ourselves now. Girlfriends? Lovers? Or have we stayed on the friends stage until further notice?  
"I should just tell the people at the supermarket not to let you purchase certain things." I warned the pair. Both of their eyes widened in fear as they sobered up and began eating lunch. Although every once and a while I could hear whispered words and soft snickers coming from the two of them.

We had playful discussion all throughout the meal once Henry and Emma stopped acting like children but I couldn't blame them. It was a way to forget the issue, even for a moment, so none of us would lose hope. Or lose it faster than we wanted. We all needed to be strong for each other. A family. We had already finished up our meal when we heard a knock at the door which silenced us all as I went to go and answer it I saw Belle standing in the doorway breathing hard and panting.  
"Did you run here? Are you okay?" I asked her. She chuckled.  
"I did. I think I found something." It was then that I noticed a thick, leather bound book in her hands with several neon post it notes in various places however one hand several more than the others. Henry and Emma emerged into the foyer at our voices.  
"What do you mean you think you found something?" Henry asked sounding so hopeful in Belle's words. The other brunette smiled at Henry softly.  
"I think I found something that could free Emma but not mess with the balance between Darkness and light."  
"How?" I asked immediately.  
"This will take a while to explain. I spent all night trying to translate this and even then it's still slightly hard to understand at some points so I hope you can help with those."  
"Okay. Lets go in the study."  
"I'll make us all hot chocolate." Henry said running into the kitchen.

We went into the study but waited until Henry came back with the drinks. Emma and I went and changed into clean clothes while we waited since it was time to start the day. I could feel anxious waves coming off of Emma as she waited for Henry so she could learn how to defeated the Dark One magic. As soon as Henry stepped into the room Belle opened the book to the page that had been marked several times.  
"I found this in the magic section in the library. Deep into the bookcase so no doubt to make sure no one found it and I spent all night translating it. This page," She began as she pointed to the passage after she pulled a piece of lined paper with the translation. "explains how we can get rid of the darkness in Emma but not destroy it."  
"How?" Henry asked.  
"We need an object close to Emma. Not her blanket. It needs to be something that is a reminder of sorrow or anger." Emma frowned.  
"Any more specifics? I have a few things I could think of." Emma asked.  
"The one that causes the most pain." Belle reiterated.   
"Be right back." Emma said then disappeared in black smoke then returned. She held out a lanyard. I took hold of it and saw lock it like necklaces of all her foster families.  
"They had this sick vision of giving us necklaces reminding us of the families we had chances to be a part of." Emma growled. "Would this be enough?"  
"Yes. More than enough." Belle nodded. I looked at them all and counted 24. 24 families Emma had been too but they tossed her away.  
"Now what?" Henry asked impatiently. I shot him a warning look which he deflated slightly at.  
"I need to get the hat the fairies had been in. We'll attach the darkness to the lanyard from a ritual and toss it in the hat."  
"But won't that be destroying the darkness?" Emma questioned. Belle shook her head.  
"Not completely. Remember it can be opened but since the Dark One won't be attached to you any more, it won't target you if it is released unless someone does something to release it. Then it will go the nearest person."  
"Why not the one with the darker heart?" I asked.  
"It would be so desperate to find a host to care how dark or pure your heart is."  
"Do you have everything you need to do this?" Emma asked.  
"I will have to look to make sure but the materials are easy to come by. Some residents have figured out a way to grow herbs only known in the Enchanted Forest." Belle answered.  
"Okay. Do so." Emma told the brunette.  
"I will. Want me to send the list to you guys to? In case you have some of the things I need?" I nodded in agreement.  
"Yes. It will make it easier so the less people know about it means less interference." Emma looked at me.  
"They need to know in case a tornado takes us all to Oz." Emma warned.  
"We will once we have everything and have looked through the spell to make sure it will do it's job." I insisted.  
"Okay. But they need to know before we do it."  
"We will. I promise." I assured her. Emma gave me a small smile as Belle stood to leave, after she had quickly jotted down the ingredients and left the spell with us to look over before we do it.  
"Thank you Belle." I told her. The other woman gave me a smile.  
"You're welcome Regina. I'll keep in touch." Belle let herself out of the house and I turned to my son and Emma.  
"I may actually return to normal." Emma breathed.   
"YES!" Henry exclaimed hugging Emma who gestured me to join them. My two favorite people wrapped their arms tightly around mine as we relished the fact this nightmare would soon be over if everything went well and Emma could return to the crass and infuriating woman she was. So we could become the family I had always wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert lengthy apology*
> 
> College is kicking my butt. I lost a little inspiration with this but I think I have it back. 
> 
> Again, I am sorry.

REGINA POV

 

Surprisingly, a few hours later, before Emma and I had a chance to check around town to see if anyone had what we needed for the spell to release Emma, Belle sent me a message letting us know she had everything and we could come before dinner or the next day to release Emma from the dagger. When it arrived, we were in the middle of picking a movie to watch while we ate dinner which we hadn't planned yet.

"Do you want to go now or wait until the morning?" I asked Emma. She looked at me thoughtfully from trying to choose with Henry on Legion or Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

"Even though I am more than a little eager to get rid of the dark magic, I would rather do it tomorrow morning. Unless you want to do it now." Emma replied.

"Very well. I will tell her." I nodded and began texting Belle back. I couldn't help but feel anxious about using the spell. I had read through one of my books to see if there was any side effects I should know about afterwards but I found nothing. But even then I couldn't help but wonder since it was such an old spell and has never been used (On record, at least) to release a Dark One from the dagger. I let out a sigh as I tried to push the thoughts away. About would could happen should it go wrong.

"Hey. Are you okay? If you want we could do it now." Emma asked me softly as she stood and placed a hand on my arm. I gave her a small, sad smile.

"No. It's fine, my love. It's all up to you Emma on when you want to do it." I assured her. "I just can't help but worry."

"About what?" Emma questioned, even more concerned then she was a second ago.

"The spell is not in any of my books about it being used Ever. It also says nothing about side effects once it's over. Should something happen when it's done. Or while it's being cast." I murmured. Emma pulled me into a hug and held me tightly. Henry stood a moment later and joined in the embrace.

"I know it's scary. I know its more than a little frustrating. But we need to stick together. No matter what happens." Emma whispered into my hair. I sighed against her neck as I let her words sink into me.

"Okay." I nodded.

 

EMMA POV

 

I hated seeing Regina like this. She was never one to show weakness around others. I think only Henry had seen her in this state. But I knew all I could do was hold her and reassure her everything would be okay.

"Now. All we can do is do our best and relax and enjoy tonight with Henry. Help us pick out a movie." I told her. Regina pulled away as she knelt down as elegantly as a Queen would and began sifting through the movie collection she and Henry had gathered over the years. I was surprised to see some action movies that had a significant amount of gore to them. As well as a few chick flicks. I snorted when I saw a few of them but a glare from Regina shut me up quickly.

 

About 20 minutes later, it was decided on Pirates of the Caribbean. It seemed the worries of the next day had slipped through Regina's mind but a little seemed to remain as the worry increased in her eyes sometimes.

"Would you like any help with dinner?" Henry asked Regina.

"I think we should just order a pizza tonight. I'm not in the mood for cooking or doing a lot of dishes." Regina replied. Henry grinned before running off to get a pamphlet of the local pizza place so we could order.

"You have finally decided to let lose a little." I snickered. Regina rolled her eyes as Henry returned. 

"Since I know you two will just pick off the vegetables off, I'll get you a pepperoni and myself a Hawaiian." Regina muttered.

"You know us so well." Henry laughed. Regina pulled out her phone before going into the next room to order.

"Is she okay? She seems more worried than usual." Henry asked me.

"She's just worried about what's going to happen after the spell is over tomorrow. It's not recorded in her books about it being used or anything that could linger or happen afterwards."

"So there's a chance something bad could happen?" He whimpered as he clung to me tightly.

"No." I started, but the look he gave me stopped me from my words. I sighed. "Maybe. I don't know. But whatever it is we'll get through this together. Because we're a family."

"The Swan Mills family." He whispered into my chest. 

"Yeah. We are." I agreed. I looked up and saw Regina standing in the doorway with a smile.

"The pizza will be here in half an hour." She told us when Henry noticed her.

"Want me to get out plates?" He asked. 

"Yes please Henry." Regina answered. He went to get out plates for the three of us.

"I told your parents what is going to happen tomorrow. Despite the fact they want to be there to see the old Emma, they think it will be too hard if you end up in pain."

"I know I will be. It's not like a paper cut. It's ripping dark magic out of my system." I muttered.

"Either way. We are in this. Together." And with those words, we sealed it with a kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize. I think I will finish this fic first then work on the one I started after this. I think I got a little to eager in writing some of my ideas I got all tied up with them. So hopefully to stop that, or make it easier to finish them, I will finish one before working on the others. Especially since my crossover I need to reread the book. So reviews are always welcome. Enjoy

EMMA POV

 

After the movie was over we had all reluctantly gone to bed although I could tell hardly one of us would get any sleep knowing the next morning could result in happiness, failure or worse. I held Regina tightly against my side who drifted in and out of sleep. Each time she woke she looked up at me as if she was making sure I was still there and then went back to how she was sleeping before. I oh so ready to get rid of the dark magic inside of me and have it tied to the dagger once and for all. Regina had mentioned a while back, though it was through her mutterings as she read hopelessly through her books with me, if we found a way to bind it to the dagger and the dagger only, it would be disposed of in such a way any other powerful magic user could summon it. I was thinking binding it with so many spells and throwing it into the ocean. I new a few people had started some sailing and fishing so maybe they would be willing to help us. I had a feeling Regina would have a chest or somewhere in the pawnshop there was one. Yes. Thats what we will do. Cloak it and dump it into the ocean where no one would find it. If someone happened to find it then the binding spells placed on it should prevent anyone from opening it or trying to find out what it contains. Or maybe someone would ask about the forest but unless someone has a hidden bean, I didn't know how we would get there and back. Unless someone wanted to stay there permanently. I sighed and tried to shut my eyes so I could get some type of rest. I would need it. 

 

The next morning everyone was up by 6am. With the dark circles under Regina's and Henry's eyes I could tell they hadn't gotten much sleep. Regina made a quick breakfast after we all had showered. When I had walked into our bedroom while she was showering, I heard her sobs and went into the bathroom with her. I stripped down and got into the shower with her and pulled her close. She clung to me while her sobs increased.

"I'm so afraid to lose you. I can't lose you." She sobbed. I rubbed her back and held her tighter.

"I won't leave us. I promise you won't. I'll need to be strong for the spell and I am. I've beaten everything that's been thrown at us so far." I assured her.

"This is different Emma. This rips magic from your body. The wrong ingredient or the wrong amount could either rip both your light magic and dark magic, or worse, kill you." Regina snapped as she looked up at me.

"I know. Belle knows and I trust her with this. If anyone could help us with this and make sure it's done right, it's her. Trust me." I murmured. The brunette leaned her forehead against mine as the water even though it was meant to be warm and help relax her, it did nothing. 

"Listen to what she says. No shortcuts or smart comments. No added any more magic then the spell requires. That will result in it backfiring. If I lose you, I will go to the ends of every realm to find a way to bring your idiot self back." Regina whispered moments later. There were traces of her usual self within her words making me think she was finally taking my words to heart and allowing them to convince her I would be okay. Even f I was terrified myself. But I couldn't tell her that. It would defeat the purpose of me comforting her.

"I won't. I promise. Now lets go and get ready. Belle is waiting for us." I told her. She nodded and we got out of the shower then got dressed after magically drying ourselves off. We had agreed at a certain time and since we had woken up early we found ourselves finding ways to hopefully pass the time before we had to leave. Henry tried reading a comic, Regina tried reading the newspaper and I attempted to distract myself with a game on my phone which held very little interest. I tried brining up possible vacations in the future for us. Like New York or Boston. To show Regina where Henry and I stayed and the places we went too while we stayed there for the missing year. She made a hum in response. If it was agreement or some other response I didn't know but didn't press for a different answer. She wasn't in the talking mood which on most days I would ignore but today, I offered her the silence she wanted. 

 

REGINA POV

 

I knew Emma was trying to mask her own unease about the spell while she spoke to me. Her usual charming self seemed to remain intact. Though at times it was annoying, times like this make me more thankful for having her around in my life. Henry tried to lighten the mood about talking about the newest comic that was coming out. Emma seemed more into the conversation then I was though. She was more of the nerdy type like Henry was. I was listening but the words weren't registering in my mind. I was busy driving to the pawnshop where Emma's fate would be decided. I could tell I was driving slower then I should have but I told myself it was because I was worried we would come across someone who failed to look across the street. Emma held my right hand tightly, squeezing it every few moments. By the time we had arrived, Henry's chatter had stopped and the atmosphere in the car had thickened.

"Did you tell your parents?"

"No. I don't want the drama they most likely would cause when Belle warns them about the possible dangers." Regina nodded and we got out of the car and went through the back way to avoid being seeing. Belle brought us over to the room we would be using for the spell.

"Any questions before we start? Once I start it, it can't be stopped." She warned.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of an epilogue to wrap this up?

BELLE POV

 

I could see the tension between the family in front of me. I had not sugar coated anything about the outcomes of the spell. Both good and bad. I looked at Regina who was holding onto Emma's arm tightly while tears were clear in her eyes. Henry looked more then a little worried. Emma tried to hide the worry and fear in her eyes as she met mine while she passed me the dagger with her name on it.

"Nothing that I think you haven't told us. I am ready. What do I need to do?" Emma told me while she shook her head. Regina clung to her a second more before she let go so Emma could step forward. I saw she was in her usual jeans and tank top with her red leather jacket. It was good to see her trying to return to her normal self. 

"I already brewed the potion this morning and all it requires is a small shot of your magic and Regina's." Regina cocked her head.

"I thought it was just Emma's?" She asked. 

"She needs someone with light magic to help expel it. On her own most of it will be gone. It's a little hard to explain."

"She means that since you are Emma's True Love, it will help combat the negative imbalance Emma has between her magic and the dark one magic. Kinda like how when you get sick to your stomach or any other type thing like that and you take medicine, it flushes it out." Henry explained. I had to chuckle at Henry's logic. Definitely Regina's kid in that sense with logical explanations. Not that Emma wasn't smart. She was but often did things before she thought about them.

"Are you ready?" I asked Emma. She nodded her head as she took a deep breath trying to ready herself. "This will be hard on you. It's going to hurt since it's literally ripping something out of your body." 

"I know. I want to get this done. So I could be with my family properly." Emma agreed with me. 

"Regina, come up here please." I told the brunette. She stepped forward. I need just a small pulse of magic from each of you at the same time. It will act as a bonding agent to the potion." I held out the vial with the vibrant green liquid. Emma and Regina placed two fingers each on it and at the same time let a small pulse of magic pass into the vial. It glowed into a neon green now with the added last ingredient. Regina kissed Emma before she moved back to where Henry was and hugging him close. 

"Bottoms up." Emma muttered before throwing the vial back and drinking it all in one sip. She coughed at the first taste before she fell to the group with a sharp cry. Regina cried out Emma's name before she tried to step forward.

"No! Stay back! You can't interfere with the spell while it's in motion!" I yelled. A strong gust began to swirl around the shop before it focused on Emma. I then began to whisper the words that would guide the spell into what I needed it to do after I placed the dagger on the ground in front of me.

 

EMMA POV

 

The pain hadn't come until seconds after drinking the potion. It had a bitter taste. Like the cherry cough medicine that tastes gross. Nothing like the actual fruit. I could feel wind whipping around me. It almost reminded me of the time I was in a convertible one of my foster families had. How they would put the top down and we would go down the highway while the wind tore at our hair and clothing. It was one of my nicer foster homes. I was only taken back because the husband had fallen ill and the wife needed to focus on him more then me. She was heartbroken she had to let me go. She held me while the social worker stood there for an hour before she let me go reluctantly. She had tried to get my social worker to her know where I would be to send cards for holidays but she had shaken her head. She had said she couldn't promise anything and even if she could, my new parents would throw it out before I even saw it. I had thoughts about finding her. To tell her I am alright. After that thought trailed off I was swung into more memories. All of them were good. As if the spell was taking all the bad out of me. Memories and all. Maybe thats one of the reasons it hurt so much. It came in waves I would relax and then be hit with another wave of pain. The spell seemed to take forever. Then one last pull of pain and I felt all the darkness leave me. I opened my eyes and saw the same cloud that had once hovered over Regina being swept up in the wind before it completely went away. I lay there on the ground panting. I took a moment before taking note of myself. I seemed all in one piece. I checked to see if I was back to how I was before becoming the dark one. And to my happiness, I was. 

"Regina. It worked." I whispered. Regina let out a cry of relief before she pulled me off the ground and hugged me tightly as she sobbed into my shoulder. Henry came over and hugged me tightly and for once I let the tears fall. Tears I had been trying to hold back. Belle let us have a moment.

"Any idea on how you want to go about disposing of this?" She asked as she picked up the dagger with a glove. Most likely to prevent it from passing anything to her.

"I had thought about putting it in a chest and binding it with enough spells to mask it from anyone and if someone just happens to find it, prevent it from opening it and finding out what's inside." I told her. "We would need a chest that has been used for magical means though." Belle made a face before nodding. 

"What do you think Regina? Think it will work?"

"With the right ones, yes." Regina agreed. I grinned. "I have an old chest we can use. One of the ones mother used for a heart."

"And that's when the moment turned gloomy." Henry muttered. I snorted in response as Regina rolled her eyes.

"When do you want to put on the spells?" I asked Belle.

"I would say today but you look exhausted. Binding spells are ones that you need complete focus on because of how complicated they are and in general how they work." 

"Now that you mention it, I am kinda tired." I murmured.

"Go get some rest and come back tomorrow. Regina, bring the chest." Belle told us before she shooed us out of the shop.

 

We got into the Mercedes but Regina didn't start it right away. As if she was waiting for something.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Henry asked her. Regina looked at us both with a content smile.

"No. Everything is perfect." She murmured. And it was. More then perfect. I had a family, a loving girlfriend and a son. All my dreams had come true.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is finally the end after several breaks even when I promised there would be no more. This is my first fic written though it isn't the best but I hope to get better at writing over time. I will now focus on my wickedswan fic which I believe I started after this or around the same time.

8 months later

 

8 months passed after Emma was released from the dagger. True to Emma's wishes and Belle's words, several spells that bound and hidden one of the enchanted chests Regina and her mother had used to hold hearts, was dropped into the ocean. Far away from land but still within the vicinity of the town. Some of the sailors dropped it with Emma's supervision to make sure it was done correctly and no one had messed with it. Nightmares plagued Emma months later and it had taken persuading from Regina, Henry and her parents for her to visit Archie about them. It turned out it was fueled by the slight resentment she held for her childhood. Not so much from Regina, she understood her reasoning for the curse, but her parents. She knew why they did it but she felt it wasn't enough to be sent through the wardrobe. She had a couple of sessions with just her and her parents to help clear the air, then with Regina and sometimes Henry with the two of them. One was also with everyone in her family. Emma's nightmares cleared up some but there were some sleepless nights here and there. 

 

Regina did the best she could to reassure Emma anything that had happened at her hand while she was the dark one wasn't her fault, driven by the dark magic. But Emma being the way she is, took a little more persuading then most people. They went on dates almost weekends where Henry would stay with his grandparents. They never rushed into anything, they took the time learning more about each other and found there was so much under the layers they built over time. The town quickly got used to the new status of their relationship which surprised them both. Though it took some time, Emma found out there was a stable on the outskirts of town and wanted to reopen it to teach lessons while being mayor part time. It was hard to find someone she was willing to share the position with someone who knew what they were doing. Which ruled out Snow and David immediately. Emma made it her mission to find the dwarves, who took some bribing, to help rebuild them to it's former glory or even better, and contacted an old client from her Bail-bonds person days who owned a large stable with top notch horses in Vermont. He had promised her a favor when she finished a job for him when the police had recruited her to find his wife for some crime she had long forgotten about. She wasn't lying when she would say finding people is what she did best.

 

For Regina's birthday, it was finally finished. Her connection came through with 12 horses which was more then what she had originally asked for. She had only hoped for a few and a stallion or two so they could breed their own but he gave her 8 mares, 1 gelding and a few stallions. A pure black stallion she had sorta claimed as her own and named him Ben. Grumpy had picked on her for the name but it was in honour of one of the few good grandparents she had in the system. 

 

The stately stable was burgundy with black panels surrounding the doors, windows and the roof. There was a total of 24 stalls that were rebuilt and ready for the other 12 to be homes. Six pastures between 7 and 9 acres each. An indoor arena was built out of the plan from the idea of the dwarves in case there was bad weather. Jumps were being purchased from outside of town. Other things would be brought in when the demand was needed. Tack was a little hard to come by since all the good quality, like Dover, was expensive. That was the only thing Emma had agonized over and though she had wanted to ask Regina for advice, knowing her mother would let it slip somehow, she refrained.

With a plan of a dinner before taking her to see the stables, Emma was full of nerves. However, thankfully everything went smoothly. And they took a new step into their relationship.

 

1 year later

 

Regina chose Belle as co-mayor as she opened the barn for lessons. She left Ben alone though for Emma to ride on her own. He was well mannered as well as playful. She found out he was a thoroughbred and made it her goal to gallop him. When she knew how to ride a horse though. She would just fall on her ass if she tried when she was just learning how not to freak out when she cantered. Henry came over every once and a while but with him doing some after school activities with his weekends being at his grandparents or friends, he wasn't around much except for dinner. 

 

Emma prepared to propose to Regina and spent from when she opened the stable planning. With asking various opinions for others in the town and lots of research as well as what she knew about Regina, simple was the best way to go. Knowing despite Regina being one for dramatics in the forest, she was rather simple and more interested in a slight version of solitude. With cooking lessons from Granny a picnic was planned at a special spot in the forest we found on a trail ride. 

 

She decorated it with twinkly lights she found in the mansion basement since she planned it for the sunset, Regina's favorite time of day. The meal consisted of medium rare steak with fresh asparagus, red wine and a slice of chocolate cake only Granny could make with ease. While Emma had planned a speech, when it came time to actually say it, all she got to was the middle with far too much stuttering, Regina rolled her eyes and said yes. Not quite the way she had planned it, but then what did happen the way it should with them? Or Storybrooke in general.

 

Sometimes happy endings don't come in the form of princes and castles. Waking princesses from curses or rescuing them from an evil witch (oh the irony). This one happened to come in the form of a former Evil Queen and a Savior that was sent to break the curse. Who turned out to save even more than that.


End file.
